Local News

A not so rabid response?

Sheriff Crone frustrated that responding to rabies calls falls to his office

By Paul Albani-Burgio

Times Staff Writer

Posted:
08/02/2017 06:50:29 PM MDT

Increased rabies concerns have resulted from dogs testing positive for rabies in Weld and Yuma counties last May. While rabies is common among bats and skunks in Morgan County, it is rare for dogs to test positive for the disease. (File photo)

The presence of rabies in and around Morgan County has weighed more heavily on the minds of many residents since dogs in Weld and Yuma counties tested positive for the disease last May. Those dogs were the first to test positive for rabies in Colorado since 2003. Adding to the concern are increasingly prevalent rabid skunks, a relatively new problem in northeastern Colorado—and one that has been particularly bad this year.

Given these developments, it would make sense for residents to be aware of the threat posed by rabies and who to turn to if they come across any animals they suspect may be infected. It turns out, however, that doing so is not so easy because the county's process for dealing with rabies reports is less clearly defined than might be expected. Even local government agencies seem to disagree about where that responsibility should ultimately fall. This has been a source of frustration for Morgan County Sheriff Jim Crone because the responsibility of responding to reports of rabid animals currently falls to his department even though it is one he says falls outside of the scope of a sheriff's expected responsibilities.

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The Northeast Colorado Health Department is responsible for making sure animals that residents report suspecting of rabies are tested. Those animals are submitted to the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, which does that testing at a Denver lab. However, the health department says it is not equipped to go out and respond to initial rabies reports and tells residents to report animals they suspect might be rabid to the sheriff's department. This frustrates Morgan County Sheriff James Crone who says dealing with rabies cases really shouldn't be the responsibility of law enforcement officers.

"They just tell them to call us because they are not equipped to go out and pick up the animal," Crone said "But we really aren't either."

Crone said the responsibility of responding to rabies reports in the county has fallen to his deputies because there is no other agency in the county that has been given that responsibility.

"Most people, if they think there's any issue at all that has to do with public safety, law enforcement usually ends up with getting the call," he said.

He said the department will respond to such calls "in the interest of public safety." If the officers agree that the animal is acting out of the ordinary, they will attempt to catch it or euthanize it if it cannot be safely caught. They will then call the health department and have them pick up the animal to test it for rabies.

"It just kind of adds more things to our plate and our primary goal is enforcing the law and protecting citizens," Crone said. "Now obviously rabid animals are a protection issue but it kind of seems like there would be other entities that could be involved in that. Unfortunately in the county its 'tag we're it' because we don't have anyone else."

Crone says another similar and related problem that also falls to local law enforcement despite being outside of their primary focus is that of dealing with stray dogs, which the department gets routinely gets calls about and picks up in residential areas.

"We do it more because the public expects us to do it," Crone said. "We'd rather be out of the dog catching business because we have better things to worry about but there is nobody else to take care of it in the county so its 'tag we are it.'"

Crone said that while the department is able to effectively deal with routine animal control calls. However, high risk situations, such as those where rabies could be involved, are a different story.

"It's rare that anybody ever gets bit but when you're dealing with something a little more high risk such as a potentially rabid animal we don't have any more tools to deal with it then anybody else," he said.

While Crone would like to see the health department be equipped to pick up the animals themselves, he said that the department will continue to do so in the meantime.

"Right now there seems to be no better system in place so we will continue doing what we're doing," Crone said.

Thus, residents who come across an animal they suspect may have exposed themselves or a pet to rabies should call the sheriff's department.

"People should call if they see a suspect animal, which is a nocturnal animal during the day or just something walking around acting abnormally in any way and making weird noises or anything," said Jessa Hatch, the Northeast Colorado Health Department's Information Officer.

Hatch said that her department has seen more cases of rabies in Morgan County this year than usual and attributes that to the recent mild winter and long spring. Hatch said the risk for rabies is also elevated in the warmer months when people are spending more time outside. Rural areas are also more susceptible to rabies in general because "there are more critters around."

"It is always is a concern so people should just know what to look for," Hatch said. "They should definitely keep their pets vaccinated and keep an eye on them when they are out at the reservoir and stuff like that."

Hatch said that though rabies is relatively common among wild animals in Morgan County, particularly among bats and, increasingly, skunks, it is highly unusual for it to show up in pets, which is why the May cases in Weld and Yuma counties generated so many headlines.

"A lot of that is because of the vigilance of everyone seeing those wild animals and not letting their dogs close to them and having their dogs vaccinated," Hatch said. "Vaccinating pets is definitely the biggest thing you can do to protect your family."

Hatch also recommended that individuals refrain from attempting to shoot rabid animals themselves and said that those who did so should make sure to do so safely. Rabies can be passed from the splatter of nervous system tissue so those that do choose to shoot should do so with a low caliber rifle like .22 and from at least 30 feet away.

"We don't really encourage it but we know it's going to happen," Hatch said. "So if its gonna happen we want it to be done safely."

But at present calling the sheriff remains the best option for dealing with rabid animals.

"We need to make sure that people aren't hurt we certainly don't want anybody bit because obviously if you're bit by a rabid animal it's not going to be a good outcome," Crone said.

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